Matrix storage system for type making machines



April 18, 1939. G. c. COLEMAN ET AL MATRIX STORAGE SYSTEM FOR TYPEMAKING MACHINES Filed June 30, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l|||||llIIHHHHHMHHHHHHHHHHQHHHHHgUHHHHHUI q IHHDIIIIIIPIIIIIIIIIIDIIIIIIIIIIHHHHHHHHHHHDHHUHHHHHIIIIHHIIIIIIIIIIIIHHHIAIIIII April 18, 1939. Q Q COLEMAN ET AL2,154,728

MATRIX STORAGE SYSTEM FOR TYPE MAKING MACHINES Filed June so, 1957 2Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTORS W 61 Kali/744 TTORN Patented Apr. 18, 1939UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE MATRIX STORAGE. SYSTEM FOR TYPE MAKINGMACHINES Guy 0. Coleman and Hugh Foster, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application June 30, 1937, Serial No. 151,084

10 Claims. (Cl. 276-44) Our invention relates to a system'for storingonce for each' matrix contained in the magazine matrices for type makingmachines, adapted to and then, when the matrices are to be restored casta line of type from matrices selected by oper- "to the magazine, theoperator mustwait for the ation of a keyboard, arranged in a desiredline distributor to completely distribute a thousand and passed tocasting apparatus which molds or or more of these matrices back into themagazine. 5 casts the complete line of type, and has particu- It is anobject of our invention, therefore, to lar reference to a storagemagazine and a system provide a storage magazine for receiving and fortransferring matrices from a standard line storing matrices from thestandard magazine and casting machine magazine to a storage magazine.which will hold the matrices in the same relation In line castingmachines the various matrices toeach other asthematrices were held 'orconn) for a given font of type are contained within a tained within thestandard magazine. magazine which is disposed upon a type making Anotherobject of our invention is to provide machine above the keyboard andfrom which a storage magazine of the character set forth matrices arereleased upon the operation of the which may be constructed relativelyinexpen- 16 keys of the machine. The standard magazines sively,requiring greatly reduced investment in is employed upon the machinesare usually considstorage magazines for each different font of typeerably Wider at their upper end than at the lower as compared with theinvestment required for a end thereof, each of the magazines beingprovided standard storage magazine for each diiferent with a pluralityof slots, one for each of the diffont of type.

:0 ferent letters, numbers or other'symbols of the Another object of ourinvention is to provide 20 particular font of 'type contained therein,these a system for transferring matrices from the slots or groovestapering toward each "other from standard machine magazine to a storagemagatop to bottom of the magazine in conformity with zine or to transferthe matrices from the storage the difference in width of the top andbottom magazine to a standard machine magazine which of the magazine.Since this standard magazine requires the mere end to end assembly ofthe includes a portion of the mechanism for selecstorage and standardmagazines with a transfer tively releasing the matrices, upon theoperation member interposed therebetween, which accuof the keys, it isessential that each of the slots rately guides the matrices from theirslots in the or grooves be accurately machined so that the standardmagazine to corresponding slots in the 3;; magazine which is used as astandard part of storage magazine and vice versa. the equipment of themachine is relatively ex- Another object-of our invention is to providea pensive. transfer member for use in the system defined in Whenever adifferent "font of "type is to be used the preceding paragraph in whichthe transfer on one of these machines, it is necessary to rememberincludes means for forming with the move the previously used magazineand insert a slots or grooves of the standard storage magazine 35 newmagazine containing the different font of a uniform width groove or slotextending from type, making it necessary for the operator of the thestandard machine magazine to the storage machine to have on hand aseparate and distinct magazine to prevent the binding, overlapping orstandard machine magazine for each different piling up of the matricesduring the transfer from font of type he proposes to use in the machineone to the other of the magazines. or making it necessary for theoperator of the Other objects and advantages of our invention machine toremove one by one each of the matwill be apparent from a study of thefollowing rices in the machine and to store them in asepaspecifications, read in connection with the acrate container andthen when these matrices are oompanying drawings, wherein again to beused they must be fed into the dis- Fig. 1 is a plan view of an assemblyof storage '45 tributor of the machine and redistributed into themagazine, standard machine magazine and standard machine magazine on themachine. transfer member upon a suitable supporting The provision of aseparate standard machine table, preferably tiltable to allow thematrices magazine for each different font of type requires to pass bygravity from one to the other of the tremendous investment on the partof the estabmagazines, 2. portion of the top plate of the mag- 5liehment operating the machines while the sepaazines and transfer memberbeing broken away to rate and individual removing of the matricesillustrate the fingers employed to form uniform from the machinerequires laborious effort on width grooves for the transfer of thematrices the part of the operator of the machine since he from onemagazine to the other.

5 is required to operate the keys of the machine Fig. 2 is an explodedview of a portion of each of the storage magazine, standard magazine andtransfer member, each having their upper or top plates removed todisclose the bottom slots in each of these members and the manner ofassembly of the members;

Fig. 3 is a detail fragmentary view of the bottom plate and groovedefining members of a standard machine magazine illustrating the flaringor tapering of the upper ends of the slots and the manner in whichmatrices bind as they pass into or out of the slots in the magazine;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of a portion of thestorage magazine constructed in accordance with our invention and aportion of the transfer member employed in the practice of our system;and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary end view of a portion of the transfer memberemployed in the practice of our invention.

Referring to the drawings, we have illustrated a standard machinemagazine I which, as hereinbefore described, usually tapers from itsupper end 2 toward its lower end 3, that is, the upper end 2 of themagazine through which matrices enter the magazine from the distributorsof the machine is usually of greater width than the lower end of themagazine from which the matrices pass asthekeys of the type makingmachine are operated. While the precise construction of the standardmagazines I may vary with different forms or brands of manufacturethereof, it is substantially standard in all of these magazines toprovide a bottom plate 4 upon which is formed or cut a plurality ofuniform width grooves 5, one groove being provided for each differentletter or number or symbol to be set up by the machine, the grooves 5extending from the upper end 2 of the magazine I to the lower endthereof and constituting passageways engaging the matrices to hold themin alignment one above the other. In view of the fact that it isessential that these grooves accurately conform with the matrixreleasing mechanism of the machine, the grooves must be machined in thestandard magazine with extreme accuracy and, in view of the tapering ofthe magazine from top to bottom, the grooves 5 must taper relative toeach other, requiring accurate and careful machining thereof. The sidewalls 6 of the standard magazine are formed as strips extending betweenthe bottom plate 4 and the top plate 1 which, as will be understood bythose skilled in the art, is likewise provided with slots similar toslots 5 conforming with the lower slots to guide the opposite side edgesof the matrices contained within the slots 5. A plurality of partitions8 are usually provided extending between the top and bottom plates 4 andI to act as supports holding these plates in proper spaced relation, theplates, partitions and side walls being interconnected by suitablescrews, bolts or other securing devices 9.

By referring particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, it will be observed thatthe material In between the slots 5 is cut away or tapered outwardly atthe upper ends of the grooves, as indicated at H, to form a flaredentrance opening into the grooves 5 to assist in the guiding of thematrices l2 into the grooves as; they are dropped with more or lessaccuracy by the distributor of the machine. It follows therefore thatshould any attempt be made to empty the matrices from the grooves of thestandard magazine by merely inverting the standard magazine and allowingthe matrices to slide out of their grooves, a condition of overlappingor binding of the matrices will occur, such as that shown in Fig. 3,wherein one of the matrices l2 has arrived at the flared or taperedentrance II and the next adjacent matrix H has likewise arrived with itsupper end at the flared or tapered entrance H. The first matrix beingfree from the confines of the groove 5 has moved slightly to one side,allowing the end of the succeeding matrix to overlap into a jamming orbinding relation relative thereto.

Various attempts have been made to provide storage magazines forreceiving the matrices from the standard magazine and into which thematrices may be emptied by merely inverting the standard magazine. Suchattempts have, however, been unsuccessful primarily because themagazines and the methods of handling the same have not provided for anavoidance of the binding or overlapping relation of the matrices as theypass the flared or tapered entrance ends of the grooves 5.

In Fig. 1 we have illustrated a storage magazine l3 which may be readilyand inexpensively constructed as shown particularly in Fig. 4 as a pairof complementary members l4 and I5, each of which may be milled orsimilarly formed with a relatively flat wall I 6 having edge flanges I I"extending perpendicularly thereto so that when the two complementarymembers l4 and I5 are assembled together and are secured together bymeans of screws l8 they form a frame including spaced walls l6 and I6,each of which may be provided with a plurality of longitudinallyextending spaced grooves IS in the upper wall and a corresponding set ofscrews IS in the lower wall, capable of receiving between them thematrices passed from the standard storage magazine. The spacing of thegrooves l9 and I9 relative to each other is identical with the spacingof the upper ends of the grooves 5 in the standard storage magazine sothat by abutting the entrance end 20 (see Fig. 1) of the storagemagazine l3 with the upper end 2 of the standard magazine I, thematrices from any one groove 5 may pass into the storage magazine in thesame order and the same relation as these matrices were contained withinthe standard magazine.

However, in order to avoid the binding or overlapping relation of thesuccessive matrices in any one groove as they pass the flared or taperedportion ll of the groove 5, we prefer to employ a transfer memberdesignated generally by the reference character 2|, which includes aplurality of fingers 22 adapted to be received in and flll the flaredportion H of the grooves 5 of the standard magazine to thereby form auniform width groove extending completely from the standard magazine tothe grooves of the storage magazine.

By referring particularly to Fig. 4, it will be seen that the transfermember 2| comprises a bottom plate 23 and a top plate 24 held by endmembers 25 and, if desired, a plurality of partition members 26 (seeFig. 1) may be provided conforming in dimensions and spacing with thepartitions 8 of the standard magazine. The end member 25 is providedwith an outwardly extending tongue 21, preferably tapered and conformingin shape with the taper at the extreme upper end 28 of the side wallmember 6 of the standard magazine so that by pressing the tongue 21 intothe space between the upper and lower plates of the standard magazinethe engagement of the tapered tongue 26 with the wall 6 of the standardmagazine will accurately align the transfer member with the standardmagazine.

The lower plate 23 of the transfer member is provided with a pluralityof groove defining members 29 which may be formed integrally with thelower plate 23 or may be constructed as separate individual platessecured to the lower plate 23 in spaced relation by means of screws orother securing devices 30. The plates 29 are preferably of uniform widththroughout the major portion of their length so as to define betweenthem transfer grooves 3| of uniform width and conforming in width andspacing with the Width and spacing of the grooves 5 of the standardmagazine. However, the forward ends of each of the plates 29 is providedwith a projection or projecting finger 22 having a taper conforming withthe angle of the flare or taper H of the upper ends of the grooves 5 ofthe standard magazine so that when the transfer member 2| is pressedsnugly against the upper end of the standard magazine I, the fingerswill extend into and fill the flared portion of the upper ends of thegrooves 5 and will cooperate with the material IG to define acontinuation of the groove 5 of the same Width as the major portion ofthe groove 5, thus preventing the sidewise motion of any of the matricesl2 and preventing the piling up or binding of these matrices one uponthe other as they pass out of or into the upper ends of the groove 5.

As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the spacing of thegrooves 5 relative to each other across the standard magazine variesconsiderably and the plates 29 should there-fore be varied in width andspacing to conform with the spacing of the grooves 5, each of the platesbepreferably formed with a straight edge shoulder 33 conforming in widthwith the straight edge 3d of the extreme upper end of the material it,against which it abuts. (See Fig. 2.)

The thickness of the plates 29 may conform with the thickness of thematerial It! so as not to extend into the space between the upper andlower plates of the standard magazine and interfere with the freepassage of the matrices into and out of the magazine. As will beunderstood by those skilled in the art. the change in direction of thegrooves 5 from those lying on one side of the standard magazine to thoselying on the opposite side is a gradual change and the angle at whichthe fingers 22 extend must vary as these fingers are disposed across thelength of the transfer member 2|. This is illustrated particularly inFig. 1 wherein the fingers '22 at the extreme left-hand side of thetransfer member, as viewed in Fig. 1. extend inwardly at a considerableangle while those disposed centrally of the storage member 2| extend insubstantially straight alignment with the grooves of the storagemagazine l3.

It will be noted from an inspection of Fig. 4 that the upper plate 24 ofthe transfer member 2i may be provided with groove-refining members 3either formed integrally with or as separate members attached to theupper plate 24 to define grooves 35 for guiding the upper edges of thematrices. In view of the fact, however, that the projecting fingers 22prevent the overlapping or binding relation of the matrices 12, it isunnecessary to provide projecting fingers upon the members 36, it beingnecessary only to curve or flare these members as indicated at 35 toprovide a substantially funnel-like throat conforming with the flaredportions ll of the matrix guiding grooves in the upper plate of thestandard magazine.

By employing our storage magazine l3 and our transfer member 2|, theready and rapid transfer of the matrices from the standard magazine tothe storage magazine or from the storage magazine to the standardmagazine with each of these matrices maintained in the same relationrelative to each other as in the standard magazine may be readilyaccomplished by placing a storage magazine I3 upon a suitable supportingtable 31, the storage magazine being provided upon its lower surfacewith a central guide bar 38 receivable between a pair of rails 39 on thetable 31 so as to hold the storage magazine in a predeterminedcentralized relation on the table. The transfer member 2! is then placedin abutting relation with the entrance end 20 of the storage magazine !3and accurately aligned therewith as by inserting suitable dowel pins 40at the rear end of the transfer member 2| into dowel-receiving holes 4|in the edge flanges ll of the storage magazine i3. Then the standardmachine magazine may be placed upon the table 31 in abutting relationwith the transfer member 2|, with the tongue 21 and fingers 22 receivedin the open upper end 2 of the standard 6 magazine as hereinbeforedescribed. The storage magazine, transfer member and standard magazinemay be held on the table 31 in the described abutting relation byproviding suitable latch members 42 on the table adapted to engage I thelower end 3 of the standard magazine while the opposite end of thestorage magazine may be placed against a guide flange 43 formed upon theend of the table 31. The storage magazines are usually provided with acentral which may be received between the rails 39 to assist incentralizing the standard magazine upon a table 31. The table 31 maythen be lifted so as to raise the end 3 of the standard magazine and todepress the opposite end of the storage guide bar 43 magazine l3 and thematrices will pass by gravity from the standard magazine to the storagemagazine. The table 31 may be mounted upon suitable bearings 44 by whichthe table may be tilted when it is desired to run the matrices from oneof the magazines to the other. desired to fill the standard magazinefrom the storage magazine, the same assembly of the magazines and thetransfer member may be made and the table tilted in the oppositedirection.

It will therefore be observed that we have provided relatively simpleand inexpensive storage magazine which will hold matrices in the samerelation as these matrices must be held in the standard machine magazineand into which a and from which the matrices may be transferred by asimple pouring of the matrices from one magazine to the other, employingour transfer member to define continuous uniform width grooves betweenthe standard magazine and storage magazine.

While we have shown and described the preferred embodiment of ourinvention, we do not desire to be limited to any of the details ofconstruction shown or described herein, except as defined in theappended claims.

We claim:

1. In a system for transferring type matrices to and from a standardtype making machine magazine, a standard magazine having a plurality ofgrooves for guiding and holding matrices, said grooves being flaredoutwardly at their entrance ends, a storage magazine having a pluralityof matrix receiving grooves alignable with the grooves of said standardmagazine, a trans- Likewise if it is fer member disposed between theentrance ends of both said magazines and having means defining-aplurality of matrix guiding grooves alignable with the grooves of bothsaid magazines, and a plurality of fingers on said transfer meansextending into the flared ends of said standard magazine grooves to formtherewith continuous substantially uniform width grooves between saidtransfer memberand said standard magazine.

2. In a system for transferreing type matrices to and from a standardtype making machine magazine, a standard magazine having a plurality ofgrooves for guiding and holding matrices, said grooves being flaredoutwardly at their entrance ends, a storage magazine having a pluralityof matrix receiving grooves alignable with the grooves of said standardmagazine, a transfer member disposed between the entrance ends of bothsaid magazines and having means defining a plurality of matrix guidinggrooves alignable with the grooves of both said magazines, and aplurality of tapered fingers on said transfer member projecting intosaid standard magazine, the taper of said fingers conforming with theflare of said standard magazine grooves to define therewith continuoussubstantially uniform width grooves between said transfer member andsaid standard magazine.

3. In a system for transferring type matrices to and from a standardtype making machine magazine, a standard magazine having upper and lowerplates, each provided with a set of a plurality of grooves for receivingand holding opposite edges of matrices, said grooves being flaredoutwardly at their entrance ends, a storage magazine having upper andlower plates each provided with a set of a plurality of matrix receivinggrooves alignable respectively with the grooves of the upper and lowerplates of said standard magazine, a transfer member disposed between theentrance ends of both said magazines and having means for defining aplurality of upper and lower matrix guiding grooves alignablerespectively with the upper and lower grooves of both said magazines,and means on said transfer member cooperating with the flared ends ofone of said sets of grooves of said standard magazine to define a set ofcontinuous uniform width grooves between said transfer member and saidstandard magazine.

4. In a system for transferring matrices to and from a standard typemaking machine magazine, a standard magazine having a plurality ofgrooves for guiding and holding matrices, said grooves being flaredoutwardly at their entrance ends, a storage magazine having a pluralityof matrix receiving grooves alignable with the grooves of said standardmagazine, and a transfer member disposed between the entrance ends ofboth said magazines and having means thereon projecting into saidstandard magazine to form with the flared ends of the grooves thereincontinuous substantially uniform width grooves between said transfermember and said'standard magazine.

5. In a transfer member for transferring'matrices from a standardmagazine of a type making machine while holding the matrices inalignment with each other, means defining a pair of spaced sets ofgrooves'for receiving respectively the opposed side edges of thematrices, said groove defining means including a plurality of fingersprojectable into a standard magazine to define with the grooves thereofcontinuous substantially uniform width grooves between said standardmagazine and the transfer member.

6. In a transfer member for guiding matrices from a standard type makingmachine magazine, a pair of plates, means disposing said plates inspaced relation to each other, means on each of said plates for defininga set of a plurality of matrix receiving grooves for engaging andguiding the side edges of said matrices, one of said plates having aplurality of fingers formed thereon and projecting therefrom receivablein one end of a standard magazine to prevent displacement of saidmatrices as they pass into and out of said standard magazine.

'7. In a device for transferring matrices into and out of a standardtype making machine magazine, said magazine having an upper and lowerwall each provided with a plurality of grooves for receiving and holdingmatrices and having outwardly tapering entrance passageways leading tosaid grooves, a transfer member including an upper and lower wall eachprovided with a plurality of grooves alignable with the enrance ends ofthe grooves in said standard magazine, one of said walls being providedwith a plurality of outwardly projecting fingers one for each of saidgrooves on said wall receivable in the tapered entrance ends of saidstandard magazine grooves, each of said fingers having a taperconforming with the taper of said entrance ends of said magazine groovesto define therewith a continuous substantially uniform width grooveextending from said magazine into and through said transfer member.

8. In a device for transferring matrices into and out of a standard typemaking machine magazine, said magazine wall each provided with aplurality of grooves for receiving and holding matrices and havingoutwardly tapering entrance passageways leading to said grooves, atransfer member including an upper and lower wall, means on one of saidwalls for defining a plurality of grooves alignable with the grooves ofa standard magazine, said groove defining means comprising a pluralityof plates secured to said wall of said transfer member and each having atapered finger projecting therefrom, one edge of said finger forming acontinuous line with the groove defined by said member, the oppositeedge of said finger tapering to conform with the taper of the entranceend of the groove of said standard magazine, said fingers projectinginto said standard magazine and forming with the tapered ends of saidmagazine grooves a continuous substantially uniform width grooveextending from said magazine into and through said transfer means.

9. In a device for transferring matrices into and out of a standard typemaking machine magazine, said magazine having an upper and lower walleach provided with a plurality of grooves for receiving and holdingmatrices and having outwardly tapering entrance passageways leading tosaid grooves, a transfer member including an upper and lower wall, meanson one of said walls for defining a plurality of grooves alignable withthe grooves of a standard magazine, said groove defining meanscomprising a plurality of plates secured to said wall of said transfermember and each having a tapered finger projecting therefrom, one edgeof said finger forming a continuous line with the groove defined by saidmember, the opposite edge of said finger tapering to conform with thetaper of the entrance end of the groove of said standard magazine, saidfingers projecting into said standard magazine and forming with thetapered ends of said magazine having an upper and lower grooves acontinuous substantially uniform width groove extending from saidmagazine into and through said transfer means, the other wall of saidtransfer member being provided with a plurality of grooves conformingwith and alignable with the respective grooves in the upper wall of astandard magazine, said grooves in the upper wall of the transfer memberbeing flared outwardly to align with the tapered entrance ends of thegrooves in the upper wall of said magazine.

10. In a device for transferring matrices into and out of a standardtype making machine magazine, said magazine having an upper and lowerwall each provided with a plurality of grooves for receiving and holdingmatrices and having outwardly tapering entrance passageways leading tosaid grooves, a transfer member includin an upper and lower wall eachprovided with grooves conforming with and alignable with the grooves insaid standard magazine, an end member for each end of said transfermember interposed between said walls thereof and including an upwardlyprojecting tongue receivable between the upper and lower walls of saidstandard magazine to align the grooves of said transfer member with thegrooves of said standard magazine, and means on said standard magazineprojectible into the tapered entrance passageways of said standardmagazine and cooperating with the grooves therein to definesubstantially continuous uniform width grooves leading from saidmagazine into and through said transfer member.

GUY C. COLEMAN. HUGH FOSTER.

